Chapter 521: Giants On The Move, The Aura Of Adam
Ryuunosuke was just as puzzled as everyone else.
Moria's Shadow Shadow Fruit let him grow stronger by devouring shadows of powerful beings. He had once set his sights on stealing Whitebeard's shadow, and that alone proved how deeply his strength depended on what he absorbed.
So whose shadow had he just swallowed now?
What kind of existence could cause such a terrifying leap in power in such a short time?
The moment that particular shadow appeared, Atostana had exploded in fury.
There was clearly a connection there.
"Guh…"
While the battlefield raged and shockwaves tore the sky, a news bird flapped weakly through the air toward Ryuunosuke.
The poor bird was covered in cuts and bruises from stray blasts of force, its wings trembling, but it stubbornly flew on, straight for him.
If it was forcing its way into this warzone, then it could only mean one thing.
Morgans had something to tell him.
Ryuunosuke was already used to the big bird's work style.
With a casual wave of his hand, he seized the news bird out of the air and brought it to his arm.
"Guh…"
The news bird swayed unsteadily, barely able to stand on his forearm, but still managed to push a Den Den Mushi into Ryuunosuke's hand.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, something big just happened on my side."
Morgans's voice came through at once, full of urgency.
"All the giants on Morbig Island have gone out to sea."
"And judging from their routes, they are heading straight toward you."
"Most importantly, their expressions are not friendly at all."
"The entire Big Mom Pirates have been heavily injured."
"Even Charlotte Linlin herself is lying on the deck and has temporarily lost the ability to move."
Ryuunosuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
It was not that Morgans had not wanted to contact him earlier.
The problem was that Ryuunosuke had left all his Den Den Mushi back on the Ark of Eternity.
Everyone had rushed out to watch the clash between Atostana, Moria, Keshia, and the others. Even Gaino had been ignored for the moment.
That was why Morgans had no choice but to dispatch a news bird into this chaos to deliver the message.
"Do you know exactly what happened?"
Ryuunosuke asked bluntly.
This kind of news made no sense at all.
He had only just formed an alliance with the giants, earned their recognition, and received rewards and reputation points from them.
And now this?
For a moment, even Ryuunosuke felt genuinely confused.
"It was Linlin's doing."
Morgans replied quickly.
"But we cannot get in touch with anyone on her ship right now."
"The news birds I sent over were all driven away."
"So at the moment, we still do not know what exactly happened."
"But you need to be careful. Those giants do not look like they are sailing over for a friendly visit."
The intelligence he had gathered earlier showed that Charlotte Linlin had indeed gone to Morbig to meet the giants.
At first, their interactions had gone very smoothly.
So how had things suddenly turned into this bloodbath?
Even Morgans, who prided himself on having eyes and ears everywhere, was at a loss.
"I understand."
"When they arrive, I will ask them directly."
"In the meantime, keep trying to contact the Big Mom Pirates. If possible, find out what went wrong before the giants get here."
"This is troublesome."
Ryuunosuke nodded.
At the same time, he gave Morgans a new job to do.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, what are you…"
"Forget it, I am not asking."
"I will go make preparations and continue the investigation."
Morgans cut the line after that.
The more time he spent cooperating with Ryuunosuke, the more he appreciated their arrangement.
First, Ryuunosuke never tried to control him or interfere with how he gathered news.
Second, Ryuunosuke treated him with a relaxed, almost friendly attitude, never putting on the arrogant airs that most monsters of the sea did.
Third, Ryuunosuke constantly generated massive news stories for him.
For a man like Morgans, that alone was enough to make this partnership priceless.
"Captain, are the giants really that powerful?"
"Should I send Diana over?"
Meliodas floated closer and asked directly.
Diana was a princess among the giants.
That status was not just about bloodline. She carried the giants' sacred artifacts and possessed unique abilities of her own.
Wherever she appeared, no giant would treat her presence lightly.
"No need."
Ryuunosuke shook his head.
"If they want to come, then let them come."
"The giants of Morbig Island…"
"What happened to them?"
Roy's voice cut in before Ryuunosuke could finish the thought.
He had appeared beside Ryuunosuke without a sound, eyes blazing with excitement.
"Huh?"
"Where did you pop out from?"
Ryuunosuke glanced sideways at him and cracked a joke.
He truly had no idea when Roy had moved so close.
But Roy's sudden reaction made Ryuunosuke even more certain that this was tied to Endo's side of the story.
Putting everything together in a short time was difficult, but the smell of it was the same.
"Did something happen to the giants?"
"Who attacked them?"
"Did something happen to Adam?"
Roy fired off three questions in a row, his voice growing tighter with each one.
"Morgans said he does not have the specific details yet."
"As for Adam…"
"Roy, I think there is something you want to tell me instead, right?"
Ryuunosuke did not answer Roy's questions directly.
Instead, he countered with one of his own.
In truth, he had already sensed that something was off from the moment Atostana appeared.
Roy's attitude had been much too calm.
Atostana was the leader of a faction that had once been Roy's mortal enemy.
By all logic, they should have been gnashing their teeth at each other the moment they met.
But when Atostana appeared, Roy's reaction had been strangely flat.
Later, the moment Ryuunosuke mentioned Lilith, Roy's expression had shifted again.
And now, the instant he heard about the giants and Morbig Island, he could not stop himself from rushing over.
That was enough to show that there were deep connections buried between all these names.
On top of that, Ryuunosuke had picked out one crucial word from Roy's earlier mutterings.
Adam.
Adam the Tree.
For Ryuunosuke, that was excellent news.
He had already been suspecting it.
Lilith, Adam, Eve, God.
The Guardians, the Evictorss.
And now, the appearance of the Infinity Stones, and hints pointing toward some "Infinite Continent."
Were all of these truly unrelated?
Ryuunosuke no longer believed that.
"Adam is the only thing in this world that can kill Lilith."
"If something has happened to Adam, then…"
Roy's face drained of color.
He did not finish the sentence, his body starting to tremble instead.
With the information Ryuunosuke had just received, he could already guess the rest.
A heavy shockwave rolled across the sea toward them.
"Here we go again."
Ryuunosuke lifted his hand and conjured an energy barrier, effortlessly blocking the impact and shielding both himself and Roy.
If they were going to have this kind of talk, he was not about to let some stray attack interrupt them.
"So you already had a plan before all this."
"To head to Morbig together."
Ryuunosuke spoke half as a question, half as confirmation.
"Yes."
Roy nodded, frustration tightening his features.
"I originally wanted to wait until the Black Veil Forest incident was completely resolved before going there."
"But now it seems there is no way to keep it hidden any longer."
"'No way to keep it hidden'?"
"Roy, please, we are in the middle of a perfectly legitimate cooperation here."
"Can you stop treating me like some clueless outsider?"
Ryuunosuke could not resist teasing him a little.
Roy's mood was already terrible.
Hearing that made him feel even more drained, like all the strength had been pulled out of his limbs.
"Actually, Adam…"
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